Contrastate were formed in 1987 by Stephen Meixner and Jonathan Grieve.

Their initial musical ventures were of a more improvisational nature,

based on noise and volume (not to be confused with power electronics).

Sounds emerged, sub-merged and re-emerged at varying painfully low frequencies

with extremes of treble tonality. The idea was physical confrontation through sound.

Towards the end of 1988 Contrastate's music became more subtle and considered,

concentrating on the atmospheric rather than aggressive content.

1992 saw the release of "A Live Coal Under The Ashes" which was inspired by

the events leading up to the changes across Eastern and Central Europe during 1989.

This release marked the change conceptually in which the group's ideas became more

specific and more focused on contemporary political issues. "A Live Coal Under The Ashes" was

critically acclaimed not just for the music, but also for the artwork and

packaging. Stephen J. Pomeroy joined the group for these recordings and became Contrastate's third member.

Contrastate went on to release numerous albums and singles, appeared on several compilations, and released a collaboration with anarchic castrato blues trio The Tiger Lillies.

In 2000, Contrastate decided to end their activities as a group, in order for its members to concentrate on their own separate projects. Their final full length release, "Todesmelodie", was partly inspired by Robert Irwin's book "The Mysteries of Algiers" and the Pontecorvo film "The Battle of Algiers" from 1965.

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